Eric Staal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eric Staal |
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Staal with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013
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| Born | October 29, 1984 Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Carolina Hurricanes New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Florida Panthers |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 2nd overall, 2003 Carolina Hurricanes |
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| Playing career | 2003–2023 | ||
Eric Staal (born October 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre for eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Eric played for several teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.
Eric is the oldest of the famous Staal brothers. His brothers, Marc, Jordan, and Jared, also played professional hockey. Eric Staal is a special member of the Triple Gold Club. This means he won the Stanley Cup (with the Hurricanes in 2006). He also won the World Championships (2007) and an Olympic gold medal (2010) with Team Canada.
Contents
Early Life and Hockey Beginnings
Eric Staal was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Henry and Linda Staal, were sod farmers. Eric started playing hockey when he was just four years old. He and his three younger brothers practiced on a home ice rink.
Eric looked up to hockey stars Joe Sakic and Wayne Gretzky. He chose his jersey number 12 because his dad wore it. His father played hockey for the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting in Junior Hockey
Eric played minor hockey in Thunder Bay. He led his Bantam team to a championship in 2000. After that, the Peterborough Petes picked him in the 2000 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft. He was the 13th player chosen overall.
In his first OHL season (2000–01), Eric scored 49 points. He improved his scoring each year. In his final OHL season, he led the Petes with 39 goals and 98 points. He was named to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) First All-Star Team.
Joining the NHL: Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes picked Eric Staal second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He started playing in the NHL right away. In 2004, he played in the YoungStars Game. This game is for promising young players.
The 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled. So, Eric played for the Hurricanes' minor league team, the Lowell Lock Monsters. He set new team records there. He had 77 points and 51 assists.
Winning the Stanley Cup
In the 2005–06 season, Eric had an amazing year. He scored 100 points in the regular season. He also scored his first career hat-trick (three goals in one game). He then led the Hurricanes in points during the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs. They won the Stanley Cup, which is the biggest prize in hockey!
After this great season, Eric signed a new contract. He also played in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2007. In 2008, he was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the NHL All-Star Game.
On September 11, 2008, Eric signed a big seven-year contract. In 2009, he scored a game-winning goal in the playoffs. This helped the Hurricanes make a big comeback against the New Jersey Devils. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals that year.
On January 20, 2010, Eric Staal became the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes. He was the fifth captain for the team since it moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2011, he was also named a team captain for the NHL All-Star Game.
Moving to Other Teams
On February 28, 2016, Eric was traded to the New York Rangers. He joined his brother Marc there. He then signed with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2016. In his first season with the Wild, he scored 28 goals and 65 points.
The 2017–18 season was special for Eric. He played his 1,000th NHL game on March 19, 2017. He also went to his fifth NHL All-Star Game. He scored 42 goals that season, his first time scoring over 40 goals since 2009.
On December 15, 2019, Eric Staal reached 1,000 career points. This is a huge achievement in hockey. He became the 89th player in NHL history to do so.
After four seasons with the Wild, Eric was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2020. In 2021, he was traded again, this time to the Montreal Canadiens.
Later Career and Retirement
Eric Staal did not play in the NHL during the 2021–22 season. He wanted to play for Team Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics. To prepare, he played a few games for the Iowa Wild in the AHL. This was his first time in the AHL in over 16 years.
In July 2022, Eric signed a contract with the Florida Panthers. He joined his brother Marc there. Eric played his final NHL season with the Panthers.
On July 30, 2024, Eric Staal signed a special one-day contract with the Hurricanes. He then officially retired from professional hockey. On January 12, 2025, the Hurricanes retired his number 12 jersey. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.
International Play
_(b).jpg) Staal at the 2010 Winter Olympics |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada |
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Winter Games | ||
| Gold | 2010 Vancouver | |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2007 Moscow | |
| Silver | 2008 Halifax / Quebec City | |
Eric Staal first played for Team Canada at the 2007 World Championships. He won a gold medal with his younger brother Jordan. They beat Finland 4–2 in the final game. Eric scored five goals in the tournament.
The next year, Eric won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2008 World Championships. He scored eight goals in that tournament.
In 2010, Eric was chosen for the Canadian team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He played alongside stars like Sidney Crosby. He helped Canada win a gold medal. Winning the Olympic title made Eric the 23rd player to join the Triple Gold Club.
Eric was named captain of Team Canada for the 2013 World Championships. He also captained Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Personal Life
Eric Staal married Tanya Van den Broeke on August 3, 2007. They have three sons together.
In 2012, the Staal brothers started the Staal Family Foundation. This organization helps children with cancer and their families.
Records and Achievements
- Carolina Hurricanes' record for most hat tricks in one season – 4 (2008–09)
- Carolina Hurricanes' record for most career playoff points – 43
- Carolina Hurricanes' record for most consecutive games played – 349 (2004–2009)
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
Bold indicates led league
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1999–2000 | Thunder Bay Kings Bantam AAA | Bantam | 59 | 48 | 52 | 100 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 63 | 19 | 30 | 49 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| 2001–02 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 56 | 23 | 39 | 62 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 |
| 2002–03 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 66 | 39 | 59 | 98 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 |
| 2003–04 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 81 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004–05 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 77 | 26 | 51 | 77 | 88 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| 2005–06 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 45 | 55 | 100 | 81 | 25 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 8 |
| 2006–07 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 30 | 40 | 70 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 38 | 44 | 82 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 40 | 35 | 75 | 50 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 4 |
| 2009–10 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 70 | 29 | 41 | 70 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 81 | 33 | 43 | 76 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 24 | 46 | 70 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 48 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 79 | 21 | 40 | 61 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 77 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 63 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2016–17 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 82 | 28 | 37 | 65 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 82 | 42 | 34 | 76 | 42 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 81 | 22 | 30 | 52 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 66 | 19 | 28 | 47 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 2020–21 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 32 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 21 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| 2021–22 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 72 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| NHL totals | 1,365 | 455 | 608 | 1,063 | 854 | 104 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 38 | ||
International Play Statistics
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Canada | U18 |  |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2002 | Canada | WJC18 | 6th | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Canada | WC | |
9 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2008 | Canada | WC |  |
8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Canada | OG | |
7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2013 | Canada | WC | 5th | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Canada | OG | 6th | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | ||||
| Senior totals | 37 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 26 | ||||
Awards and Honours
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| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| OHL Top Prospect Award | 2003 | |
| OHL Second All-Star Team | 2003 | |
| Top Prospects Game | 2003 | |
| CHL First All-Star Team | 2003 | |
| AHL | ||
| AHL All-Star Game | 2005 | |
| Best Plus/Minus | 2005 | |
| NHL | ||
| NHL YoungStars Game | 2004 | |
| Stanley Cup champion | 2006 | |
| NHL Second All-Star Team | 2006 | |
| NHL All-Star Game | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2020 | |
| EA Sports NHL cover athlete | 2008 | |
| NHL All-Star Game MVP | 2008 | |
Images for kids
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Staal with the Hurricanes in 2011.
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Staal in warm-ups for the Hurricanes in 2013.
See Also
- List of NHL players with 100-point seasons
- List of NHL players with 1,000 points
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
